Sara Moulton at Wine & Food Festival of New Paltz at Mohonk

In gala style, the Mohonk Mountain House hosts the Wine & Food Festival of New Paltz this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Three days of excellent food and drink, accentuated by trade talks and demonstrations and dining and dancing, should lift the spirits of all comers. Seminars on wine – where it comes from, what goes with what, how best to enjoy your favorites – will educate aficionados and experts alike.

Last year, the second running, more than 700 wines were offered at the Festival, with producers coming in from all over the world. And imagine rubbing elbows with Peter X. Kelly, founder and owner of Xaviar’s Restaurant Group of the Hudson Valley, and Sara Moulton, founder of the New York Women’s Culinary Alliance, executive chef of Gourmet magazine, food editor of ABC-TV’s Good Morning America and host of several popular Food Network programs, as they introduce their favorite dishes and cuisine methods.

Also in the lineup of celebrity presenters headlining the event are Kevin Zraly, Rose Levy Beranbaum, Michael Weiss, Steven Kolpan, Lou DiPalo, Marcus Guiliano, Mile Rupcic, Ric Orlando and others. A Grand Tasting will give attendees the opportunity to meet the winemakers and producers and sample their wares. The high-end Red Carpet Cru Tasting will feature wines for the most discerning palate. Awards and medals for wine producers will be given out on Saturday evening at a private for-the-trade event. And a silent auction will be held to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, so bring your checkbooks!

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Organized by Yugoslavian natives Dushka and Sam Ramic of New Paltz, the third annual Wine and Food Festival is in a class of its own. As co-owners of wine-related businesses in town, they have attracted wine professionals from all over the world to present their knowledge and products in the picturesque setting above the valley. The three-day event offers wine- and food-lovers a taste of the good life on the mountain in one of our region’s most spectacular locations.

The Mohonk Mountain House is offering festival attendees two levels of ticket access in combination with a two-night stay for two adults. Single-day visitors to the Festival can tailor their experience according to their choice of seminars and activities. Tickets to the separate events run from $30 to $135 per event. A weekend access ticket to all events costs $295. Please note that parking on Saturday is allowed only at the Ulster County Fairgrounds, where shuttle buses will take visitors up the mountain and back.